Badminton scoring
Badminton, in its basic form, is beautifully simple and understandable.
A point is won if the shuttlecock touches the floor or fails to cross the
net, the serve has to be delivered from alternate sides, and the server is
the winner of the last rally.
Experiments with scoring have brought in a point-per-rally system to 21
points, replacing a centuries-old hand-in hand-out system. Under the
previous rules, only the player or pair serving could score a point, making
matches last an uncertain length of time. The newer, time-predictable system
suits television schedules better.
Serving and Shots
Badminton
players usually attempt either a low service, tight over the net and
accurate to the lines, or a high service, lifted deep to the
baseline. The racket head must not be above the waist while serving.
Rallies often involve four kinds of shot:
- Deep and high to the back of the court, with overhead clears, or
flicks and lifts
- Fast and flat from the mid-court
- Gentle and delicate shots in the forecourt, using tumblers, hairpins
and pushes
- Steep, attacking shots with powerful smashes or subtle drops
Singles and Doubles
Since
one person covers the entire court in badminton singles, tactics are often
based on making the opponent move, for example by directing shots towards
the corners.
Because singles demands extraordinary fitness, it can become a game of
manoeuvring rather than the all-out aggression characteristic of men's (and
sometimes mixed) doubles.
Doubles is played in tactical formations in which the pair with one
player in the forecourt and the other at the back is likely to be attacking,
and the pair situated side-to-side is more likely to be defending.
For more details on point scoring and serving, check out the
Badminton World Federations' Simplified Rules guide.